Joint Letter to G7 Countries
Give 20% of available vaccines by August. Protect us all. #DonateDosesNow
Ask Congress to support UNICEF’s effort to equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines including by donating additional excess doses, through COVAX as much as possible.
Dear G7 Leaders,
The world has spent a year and a half battling the COVID-19 pandemic, but the virus is still spreading in many countries and producing new variants with the potential to put us all back where we started. This means more school closures, more healthcare disruptions and greater economic fallout – threatening the futures of families and children everywhere.
The pandemic will not be over anywhere until it is over everywhere, and that means getting vaccines to every country, as quickly and equitably as possible.
This weekend’s G7 Summit is a vital opportunity for you to agree to the actions that will get vaccines where they are most needed, fast.
UNICEF is already on the ground delivering vaccines on behalf of COVAX, the international vaccine equity initiative. But right now, COVAX is 190 million doses short of where it needs to be, which leaves vulnerable people dangerously unprotected. Some countries have committed to donating vaccines later this year, but doses are needed now.
UNICEF analysis shows that G7 countries will soon have enough doses to donate 20% of their vaccines between June and August – over 150 million doses – without significant delay to current plans to vaccinate their adult populations. We’re asking you to make these urgent donations by August and to set out a roadmap to scale-up donations as supplies increase. Forecasts suggest as many as 1 billion doses may be available for donation by year end.
We’re asking you to make these urgent donations by August and to set out a roadmap to scale-up donations as supplies increase.
The hopes of the world rest on your shoulders. Together, you must rise to this challenge. Let’s build a healthier, brighter and fairer future for every child and for everyone.
UNICEF Ambassadors and supporters:
RAMLA ALI, FERNANDO ALONSO, DAVID BECKHAM, ORLANDO BLOOM, JOSÉ MANUEL CALDERÓN, SOFIA CARSON, GEMMA CHAN, PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS, OLIVIA COLMAN, BILLIE EILISH, PAU GASOL, WHOOPI GOLDBERG, SELENA GOMEZ, DAVID HAREWOOD, SIR CHRIS HOY, ANGELIQUE KIDJO, TÉA LEONI, JEREMY LIN, LUCY LIU, JUAN MANUEL LÓPEZ ITURRIAGA, EWAN MCGREGOR, LEO MESSI, ALYSSA MILANO, ANDY MURRAY, LIAM NEESON, LIAM PAYNE, KATY PERRY, SERGIO RAMOS, CLAUDIA SCHIFFER, LILLY SINGH, TERESA VIEJO, P!NK
Speak out
Ask Congress to support UNICEF’s effort to equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines including by donating additional excess doses, through COVAX as much as possible.
Top photo: On February 24, 2021, an employee holds a COVID-19 vaccine vial produced for the COVAX facility at a manufacturer in Pune, a city located in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. © UNICEF/UN0421713/COVAX/Dhiraj Singh
HOW TO HELP
There are many ways to make a difference
War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.
Would you like to help give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential? There are many ways to get involved.
